Comfort eating can impair body’s recovery from stress, study shows

The researchers found that consuming fatty foods when mentally stressed reduced vascular function by 1.74%. Photograph: Claudia Totir/Getty Images

Using fatty foods to comfort eat during times of stress can impair the body’s recovery from the pressure, research suggests.

Many people turn to unhealthy foods such as chocolate or crisps when they are feeling the strain, but researchers have found that this can reduce blood flow to the brain and cause poorer vascular function – which in turn can have a negative effect on mental health and cognitive function, and increase the risk of heart disease.